Fil-Am named to NHL All-Star Game

FOR the first time, a National Hockey League (NHL) player of Filipino descent has been named for the All-Star Game.

The selection of Filipino American Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, whose mother hails from Manila, was announced in a post by his team on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

With 26 goals and 55 points as of this writing, Robertson is part of the Central Division All-Star team, joining the likes of Cale Makar of the defending Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild.

Eight players from each of the four divisions — Central and Pacific in the West and Atlantic and Metropolitan in the East — were initially selected for the All-Star Game with one player representing a team.

Each division will have three additional players voted to the midseason spectacle by fans.

The Stars later announced that for the NHL All Star Fan Vote, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, forward Roope Hintz and goaltender Jake Oettinger are the choices to join Robertson.

For the ongoing season, Robertson is joint third in points with Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres, well behind Edmonton Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl (58 points) and Connor McDavid (73 points). He is also fifth in goals scored.

Last November, Robertson was named NHL's First Star of the Month, having tallied 34 points in 18 games between Oct. 27 to Dec. 4, 2022.

The Stars are sitting on top of the Central Division in the Western Conference with a 23-11 record.

The 2023 NHL All Star Game will be played in Florida at the FLA Live Arena on February 4.